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New Braunfels Herald Zeitung (Newspaper) - August 2, 1989, New Braunfels, Texas
Unicorns name Isbell head basketball coach
After more than a four-month search, New Braunfels High School has named Nimitz Junior High (Odessa) Coach Linda Isbell to take over the reigns of the varsity girls basketball team.
See Page 13A
House gives TV industry time to adopt guidelines
WASHINGTON (AP) — The television industry may be getting a chance to adopt voluntary guidelines aimed at curbing violent programming.
See Page 16A
Stay at home and make your take-out favorites
Cool treats made with ice cream are especially tempting dessert choices. Ice cream stores around the country compete to offer the newest and most unusual ice cream creations.
See Page 1B
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707 Landa St., New Braunfels, Texas 78130 (USPS 377-880) 512-625-9144
Two Sections, 24 PagesChief appraiser says contract a plus
By STEPHANIE DAVIS Staff Writer
A proposed collection of taxes contract between Comal ISD, Comal County and the local appraisal district is a “natural marriage” and is what government is all about — sharing, says one public official.
“Comal County and Comal ISD have approximately the same number of parcels, they can be billed on the same statement, they are on the same collection year ... There’s a natural marriage,” said Comal Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Richard Rhodes.
Monday, the school board approved the
proposed contract after President Carter Casteel recently released her plans for tax consolidation. Comal County Commissioners Court must now approve the contract before it can be entered. The appraisal district board of directors also will have to agree with the contract because the appraisal district is scheduled to provide data processing services.
Plans entail the county tax office going online with the appraisal district’s software, which will give the county access to information such as parcels of land, current ownership, legal description, current value, and deed transaction history.
“Our cooperation together and our resource sharing will produce a better product at a lower cost to the people out there," Rhodes said. “I think we can cut down on running people around from one office to the other. It’s what government was meant to be, which is sharing cost and sharing resources so that we work more efficiently together.”
The county will have the advantage of direct access to the appraisal district’s data bank which is constantly updated, he said. “In the past without direct access what (the tax assessor-collcctor) normally would get would
be tape updates or disk updates to her database.”
Rhodes said with an extra telephone line tile county can go on-line with the appraisal district’s computer quickly. “It would just be very easy to do.”
The appraisal district currently is on-line with the CISD tax office providing the same service it could provide the county.
“I have always stated that I am a proponent of consolidation provided that it produces what it is intended to produce which is less cost and more convenience,” Rhodes said. “This is an unusual district in that there arc
some parameters in existence here which do not exist in other places iii the suite so it may be that consolidation here means something else than it would mean somewhere else.”
Within the local appraisal district, the off-tax years of New Braunfels ISD and the City of New Braunfels make it difficult for the entities to consolidate taxes with Comal County and CISD.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that it is the single most effective thing that could be done out there to have the other taxing entities online and interfacing with the CAD database,” Rhodes said.
Neighbors send out anti-crime message
Mill Street residents of all ages sent a signal to criminals Tuesday night as they marched against crime down Mill Street with banners, flags, and a police escort.
“We’re sick and tired of crime,” said Safe City Commission Coordinator Don Ferguson after the walk.
Approximately 50 people made up the procession headed by New Braunfels Police Office Spencer Gremmer in a police vehicle and three youngsters carrying a flag. Two people carried a banner displaying die Mill Street Association’s motto and the sounds of accordion music from Barron Schlameus filled the air.
The march began at 7:30 p.m. at the Tube Chute parking lot, stopped traffic at the intersection of Mill Street and Seguin Avenue intersection and ended at First Methodist Church’s back parking lot around 8 for refreshments and speeches.
An organizer of the walk, Allen Seelhammer said a coalition
Residents of the Mill Street area gathered last night to march against crime. (Photo by Stephanie Davis)
between concerned residents and an pro-active police department can help wipe out crime. The main crime problem in the Mill Street area is speeding, vandalism, and burglary, he said.
After the walk resident Hortince Ackerman said she is willing to fight crime and is open to suggestions on how to do that.
“We want New Braunfels to be a safe place,” said resident Annie Acker.
“( The walk) just sends a signal to the crime element,” said Bob Thompson.
“It was really a great idea,” Ray Ruben said
Sgt. John McEachem, who rode behind the procession, said the
police department wants to fight crime, but the residents have “got to tell us or we won’t know.”
The Mill Street Association formed two years ago when residents were planning for a Christmas party. The association encompasses San Antonio Street to the
See WALK, Pag* 2A
Trustees agree to settlement
Iran pressuring militants to spare hostage
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Iran is believed to have pressured pro-Iranian militants to put off killing American hostage Joseph Cicippio, and the chance his life will be spared has increased, Shiite Moslem sources said today.
The group holding Cicippio, the Revolutionary Justice Organization, had said it would kill him Tuesday at 11 a.m. EDT unless Israel freed Sheik Abdul Karim Obeid, a Shiite Moslem cleric kidnapped by Israeli commandos July 28. It then extended the deadline 48 hours.
Israel’s defense minister, Yitzhak Rabin, today defended the abduction and said the Cabinet considered the dangers to hostages in Lebanon before
approving it. He repeated Israel’s offer to swap Obeid and Lebanese Shiite Moslem prisoners held in Israel for Israeli soldiers and foreigners held in Lebanon.
The pro-Iranian Hezbollah, of which Obeid is reported to be a leader, has rejected a swap.
President Bush, faced with his most serious foreign policy challenge, consulted world leaders, including Pope John Paul II, and met with his Cabinet twice in 24 hours.
The pope agreed to intervene to seek the return to the United States of the body of Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, reportedly hanged Monday by a Shiite Moslem group.
West Germany said today it had contacted Iran and Syria on the United States’ behalf. France also asked countries that might have influence over groups holding hostages to try to ensure the captives’ safety.
Iran is the financial and spiritual backer of Hezbollah, or Party of God, the fundamentalist faction believed to be the umbrella for groups holding most of the 16 foreign hostages in Lebanon, including eight Americans.
Shiite sources in Lebanon, speaking on condition they not be further identified, said they believed
S** HOSTAGES, Peg* 2A
By MARGARET EDMONSON Staff Writer
Trustees of the New Braunfels Independent School District approved a settlement agreement Tuesday evening with contractor Calvin Koltcr-mann and architect Peter Callins for $45,(XX) in a litigation concerning unit ventilators.
NBISD Superintendent Charles Bradberry said the litigation began in 1977 when the school district instructed the architect and contractor to install unit ventilators in Carl Schurz Elementary School, Sccle Elementary School, New Braunfels Middle School and Lone Star Elementary School. Tile architect and
Officials waiting for change
Even if the Edwards Aquifer’s level dips below 621 feet above mean sea level at the Panther Canyon test well, city officials will wail a while before sending the City of New Braunfels back into mandatory conservation, according to Mayor Doug Miller.
Tuesday’s level measured at 621.29 feet amsl, 0.15 feet less than Monday’s figure. Today the aquifer is at 621.30, up .01 from yesterday.
Currently, the city remains in a state of partial mandatory conservation. Residents still can only water their lawns between 6 and IO a.rp. and 7 and ll p.m. They also cannot let water run onto the streets and driveways, and restaurants are required not to serve water except upon request. All industrial waste is to be eliminated.
Violations to these passages of the water conservation ordinance can
Se* WATER, Page 2A
Residents drying out after storm
HOUSTON (AP) — Residents whose homes were flooded by torrential rains spawned by Hurricane Chamal began drying out their wet belongings as the storm today moved further into Texas, losing strength.
At least three deaths were blamed on the storm. A man died after falling from a Chevron oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico south of New Orleans and two Bryan teen-agers drowned when they were sucked into a flood-swollen drainage ditch.
Chamal roared ashore early Tuesday morning at High Island, bringing with it driving rains and winds up to 80 mph. It lost strength within a few hours and was downgraded to a tropical storm, but it continued to be a heavy rainmaker for much of the upper Texas coast throughout the day.
On Tuesday night, the storm was further downgraded to a tropical depression as it continued to move northwest into Texas. Its winds had decreased to about, 30 mph.
By early today, the storm’s remnants were located between College Station and Waco, triggering rains and some tornadoes. No damage was immediately reported in central Texas from the storm.
Forecasters said the Dallas-Fort Worth area may get as much as Five inches of rain in gusty thunderstorms today.
In sea ions of south Houston and its southern suburbs, hundreds of stalled cars and trucks lined flooded roads, and some stranded motorists sat atop their vehicles as they waited for the high water to recede.
There also was some residential flooding and scattered power outages, but die first hurricane of the 1989 Atlantic season apparently caused little serious damage.
In Bryan, officers said two youths drowned when they and two friends were riding rubber rafts on a stream swollen by heavy rainfall from Chamal. The boys were swept into a drainage pipe under a highway bypass.
The body of Robert Craig, 16, was recovered by divers about 1:20 a.m. today. The body of Erie Winslow, 17, was found late Tuesday night.
Tony Shaar, 17, was dragged through the pipe but survived by holding his breath. The fourth youth, who was not identified, managed to make it to shore.
In addition, Coast Guard helicopter crews rescued IO people Tuesday from the Gulf of Mexico after their fishing vessels capsized in storms caused by the hurricane. Three others also were plucked from the stormy Gulf on Monday as Chamal approached the coast.
Skies over Houston were cloudy Tuesday night, but the rain had stopped in most areas — giving residents a chance to start cleaning up the storm’s mess.
“We’re doing just fine,” Dan O’Brian said as he sloshed through the knee-deep floodwater of Dickinson creek, pulling his family in a canoe. “We’ve been through this before. We know how it’s done.”
O’Brian and others in die Dickinson area south of Hous-
3** STORM. Pig* 2A
Building permits decline sharply
The number and value of building permits issued by the New Braunfels Planning Department in July declined sharply from the same period last year.
In June 1988, the planning department issued 138 permits valued al $3,520,278. Last month, 101 permits were issued, valued at $981,930.
Only one commercial permit was issued during July 1989. Farah Company obatined a permit for a tenant finish out at 651 Hwy. 81 No. 1310. Oarrot Construction was named the contractor for the project which was valued at $14,500.
Five residential permits were issued last month as well. They are as follows:
• Barber Homes, residence at 826 Mission Hills, $60,000.
• Robert West Builders, residence at 1208 Fox Glen Road, $63,000.
• Jerry Fernandes, M-F Construction, residence with six-foot privacy fence, $70,000.
• Jesus Delgado Jr., Jim Walters Homes, residence at 1656 W Bridge, $35,000.
• Dr. and Mrs. David Nelson, Golden Oak Construction, residence with six-foot cedar privacy fence at 1816 Cypress Rapids, $110,000.
Other permits issued were six residential additions and alterations, $38,100; three storage buildings, $2,245; two residential carports and garages, $6,200; five commercial additions and altera-
S*« PERMITS, Pag* 2A
contractor were instructed to install ventilators that could be hooked up to cooling systems in the event the district decided to air condition those buildings.
In 1984, the district began installing cooling units and found out the ventilators installed seven years ago were not capable of being hooked up with the cooling systems.
NBISD filed suit against Callins and Koltcrmann for deceptive trade practices. According to Lonnie Curtis, NBISD’s assistant superintendent of finance, the district sought to recover die costs of replacing the unit vend lase* LAWSUIT, Page 2A
Good day
The chance of rain continues today and on into tomorrow with a 50 percent chance of rain today and 30 percent chance tonight. Otherwise, partly cloudy skies will prevail during the day with mostly cloudy skies at night. Highs arc expected in the 90s with lows in the mid 70s. The chance of rain decreases tomorrow to 20 percent with expected highs in the mid 90s. Through die weekend, expect to sec more of the same weather without any of the rain.
Inside:
CLASSIFIED............................5-7B
COMICS.....................................12A
CROSSWORD..............................3A
DEAR ABBY...............................4B
ENTERTAINMENT.......................4B
HOROSCOPE............................12A
KALEIDOSCOPE.....................1-3B
OPINIONS....................................4A
SPORTS ........................13-15A
TV LISTINGS.............................12A
WEATHER...................................2A
Stammtisch
Saints Peter mid Paul School Summer Rummage and Plant Sale will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. There will be all kinds of things for sale, including clothing, furniture, appliances, toys, housewares, knickknacks and plants. Donations still are being accepted this week at St. Mary’s Hall on the school's campus, where the sale will be held. For more information, call 625-1519 or 625-3233 during office hours, or 625-6101 in die evening or early morning. Anyone interested in helping in any way will be welcomed....
Canyon High School Class of 1969 wdl have a class reunion Saturday at Schwamkrug’s Steak-house. The social will begin at 3:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. For more information, call 438-2935....
American Legion Comal Post 179 will meet Thursday at 410 W. Coll. The executive committee meets at 7 p.m. and the regular meeting begins at 8 p.m. Unit 179 Auxiliary holds us meeting at 7:30 p.m....
S** STAMMTISCH, Page 2A
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